The Boy on Fire
by oviolet
Summary: Let the 74th Hunger Games begin! Only this time, Prim and Peeta aren't the one's called to the stage. Go through the Hunger Games with Laina, a sweet town-girl who is searching for anything but a fight and Gale, a fighter who might find himself in a bigger fight than he anticipated. Will Gale find himself acually watching out for this girl? Will Peeta still find a way to Katniss?
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games! Just so you know this is my first Fanfiction and I am open to critsism and advice. And praise too:) Thanks for choosing my story!_**

_It was Reaping Day, Effie Trinket stood by the podium with a bloodcurdling smile on her face. Instead of her usual assortment of colorful, Capitol expressions, she wore a messy grey wig and an oddly discolored face. Her bloodshot eyes poured deep into mine as she pulled a name out of the clear, glass, bowl that held the untold destiny of two very unlucky people in the square. "Laina Aldsworth!" She growled through her teeth. That "someone"… was me. I screamed as horrific images pounded at the sides of my mind, demanding my full attention. It was like Tracker Jacker's swarming around in the insides of my brain. The visions were of me, only it wasn't me. My eyes were black with pure insanity and hatred of everything I saw with those eyes. My best friend's blood was spread all over the long knife I held, my parents and my little brother were running from me; looking at me as if I were a murderous mutt the Capitol had created. Except, I really was a mutt. A terrible mutt that was the result of a girl thrown into the Games; one that no longer thought twice of killing, and had no memory of anything pleasant anymore. I turned around to see Peeta, the boy who I had always known since we were young. The sweet baker's son who always smiled at me in the hallways and was friendly to everyone. But now his face was anything but a smile, he was begging me, trying to stop any more deaths that I could cause. But I didn't listen; his words slowly became muffled as I came in for the kill…_

No! I exclaimed in one clear sob as I sat up in bed. I cried for a while, trying to convince myself that this was all a dream, but it wasn't… the Reaping was _today._

Forcing myself to stop crying, I looked into my reflection from across the room to find my long, golden hair in a terrible tangle. I began to brush through them in silence as I tried to forget what lay ahead less than a few hours away.

What if I was picked for the games? What if my little brother was? I wouldn't be able to protect him. Surely a thirteen year old would never make it.

The Capitol is so morbid, sending district children out against each other to murder each other freely. They are just so horrible. _I hate them._

I couldn't ever say that out loud of course, it was certain that I would be killed if I did so. But Sometimes I find myself not caring, thinking about what life would be like if we all resisted. Surely it would just lead to more devastation…

I just can't help but hope, and believe that there is a better fate for us out there somewhere, just waiting to be opened. A bright star, waiting patiently in the night sky for someone to just reach out, and grab it. _I want to be that person. _

I begin to drift back into reality, where a rebellion would never be successful.

As accordance to the Reaping, I search for a nice dress to wear. I result in wearing a cheerful, pink dress with white, flowery embroidery plastered all around the rims. Truly I feel sad, but the dress is so cheerful it almost lifts up my mood. _Almost._

I put on a pink bow in the back of my straight hair and give myself a small, hopeful smile. I finally decide I'm finished and head downstairs to the kitchen, where my Mom happens to be sewing up a skirt. It's not an unusual sight of course, being that my mother is a Seamstress and all.

"Did Silee stop by this morning?" I ask, suddenly noticing how late in the morning it is. "No, but the boys already headed to the square", she replies, referring to my little brother and my father.

That's strange, I think to myself. Silee and her sisters are _always_ here early on Reaping day; she doesn't want an excuse to hang around with her parents more than she already has to.

Her parents usually don't want her and her little sisters around unless that includes yelling at them and being abusive. We've sort of adopted them into the family anyways, so it's not weird to have them around almost everyday. She may be from the Seam, but my family's not really the type to care, unlike most town families in the district.

"I guess I'll just find them in the square." I say to nobody in particular as we quickly head to the square. As soon as we get to the square I meet up with some of my school friends in the sixteen –year-olds line but there is still no sign of Silee or-

There he is…. _Peeta Mellark. _I almost melt into the pavement at the sight of him. He's wearing a pale blue shirt and his wonderful blond hair is parted perfectly.

"Hey Laina." He says without looking at me, he's looking unhappily at the stage. But who could really blame him? Everyone is uneasy today.

Suddenly he turns to look at me, "Have you seen Silee?" Everyone is saying they thought they saw her taken away by Peacekeepers, I was a little worried and I figured you'd be the one to know…"He says with a worried expression that makes me want to giggle.

For a moment I almost forget why I'm here. "Laina?" He asks again with more tension in his voice. "W- what?" I mutter out.

"_Silee…_" He says slowly.

"Silee!" I repeat loudly.

I forgot completely about her missing presence! "Are you okay?" Peeta asks in a gentle tone that is very, very adorable. "Not really." I admit sheepishly. He asks no more, assuming I'm just completely out of it because of nervousness for the Reaping.

Secretly I thank Silee, she has given him an excuse to talk to me.

"Maybe she's just running late" I suggest lightly, knowing this is not true.

"Me…_sleeping in?" _ Silee says as she steps into our presence. It's true; Silee is the most nervous person I know. She rarely gets sleep as it is, its not like Reaping day makes it any better.

"Silee!" I whisper in relief as I pull my best friend in for a hug. I still feel a little pang of guilt for not being worried about her earlier than this. _Everyone's luck is being pushed today. _I think a little uneasily to myself. Silee hugs back even tighter, which gives me the clue that she's probably been crying _all morning._

"How come you didn't stop by this morning?" I ask curiously. But before she can answer, Effie is taking the stage wearing a huge rose on her head and a bright purple and yellow scarf.

_Thank God! _I think, remembering how she looked in the horrible dream. As she goes through her speech I take several glances at my little brother, praying that he isn't called today. Our chances are very slim. My family has only allowed me to take tesserae _twice_, which only puts my name in there seven times. And my brother is only at a two, so I keep convincing myself that it will all be okay just as it always has been every year.

"_Ladies first!" _ Effie trills as she takes a step towards the bowl. I feel Silee take my hand and squeeze it tightly.

"Laina Aldsworth!"

All I can think is, _this is no nightmare Laina._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! This was originally a REALLY big chapter but I decided to break it apart so now the next chapter with the goodbyes will be pretty long! And I promise the next chapter will be much quicker. I'm not going give you a ton of excuses I'm sorry it took so long but I promise it will never take this long again. Thanks so much for my readers! And I took your advice so please give me more reviews if you think I didn't follow it well or you think I should do something different. Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful Hunger Games. **

As soon as the name is called the crowd in the sixteen-year olds line parts slowly for a skinny blond girl to take her place on the stage. The girl quietly climbs the stairs as Effie greets her with an annoying smile.

_"Come along Darling!"_ She almost squeals with pathetic enthusiasm.

The girl only gives her a frightened expression in return.

"Alright! Gentleman next then?"

_Like we have a choice._

Again she slips her hand into the bowl, her purple lips pursed in anticipation.

_God, I hate her!_

I begin to think about all the slips of paper in that bowl with my name on it. _42 times…_ The odds are definitely _not _in my favor today.

As soon as Effie cleared her voice to speak, the room became eerily silent.

"Rory Hawthorne!"

I nearly collapse.

_Rory? How in the hell could it be him?! His name is only in there one freaking time! That name should have been me!_

The crowd again parts and Rory begins to unsteadily make his way to the stage. _This can't be happening! _But it is. And I'm doing nothing about it!

The solution seems more obvious than anything. Rory gives me one panicked look before I yell, "I volunteer! I volunteer for him!"

"A volunteer! How _wonderful_!" Her voice booms throughout the square.

My panic quickly turns to anger as I take the stage.

Rory yells in protest as Peackeepers pull him away. I give him a look that says, _Just shut up. _Thankfully he does exactly what I say.

"I bet my buttons that was your brother!"

I resist the urge to _strangle _her.

"Yes, he is my brother." I respond through clinched teeth.

"And what might _your _name be?" She inquires far too happily.

"Gale, Gale Hawthorne."

"Well let's give a hand for our District 12 tributes!"

To my amusement, nobody claps. Instead, one by one the crowd gives us the three-finger salute, as if to show their gratitude or sorrow for us.

Before I know it the girl and I are motioned to shake hands.

I look directly into her Hazel eyes as our hands meet. They give me no answers as to how she is handling this. I'm taken off guard when she actually gives me a half smile. She's obviously a town girl, shouldn't she dislike me?

I'm interrupted of my thoughts when we are taken to the Justice building to say our goodbyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Katniss is a little harsh with Gale in this chapter but I knew Gale had to know how she really felt before he went into the Hunger Games. He couldn't go in thinking Catnip loved him back! So if you don't like, don't read. However I am open to any suggestions or alternatives. Please share! You guys are awesome and thanks so much for reading! See, now do you see why I couldn't include this all in chapter two? I guess I could have but I wanted the goodbyes separate so sorry if you didn't enjoy the short chapter. I do not own the Hunger Games! Enjoy!**

**Laina's POV**

I sit on a red leather chair, more isolated and alone inside than I've ever felt before.

I jump up out of my chair as my family bursts through the door. My Mom's eyes are wet, and I can tell she's trying to hide it because she's biting her lips, something we both do when we are trying to hide emotion. Lukki follows her close behind, and my father is last to come through the door.

"It'll be okay!" I whisper to my brother with more deep emotion than he realizes as I pull him into a hug. It's all I can do to stop myself from sobbing.

"I know, because you can win." Lukki states, as he too is fighting back tears from spilling.

Finally I can't handle it anymore, this comment sends me into sobs. My brother pulls away from me with an angry expression.

"I'm being serious. _You can win!_" I look up into his eyes and see that he is crying while he says this. But he says it with such determination it's hard to believe he's crying while he says it.

He is thirteen years old now. He must know that there are 24 people in the games, some that have even trained for these games, trained to _kill_ tributes like me, and only_ one _can come out. I don't have any skill that will keep me alive! I want to tell him, but I don't because for some reason I have to let him believe that I have a chance.

"You can run." Lukki states, as if he has read my mind. I laugh at this, "Yeah I guess I am a pretty good runner."

I admit, I really am I good runner. Every time we run during gym I always beat all the girls in my class, _even Katniss Everdeen_. This makes me smile; I've always loved beating that girl. It annoyed me so much that _everyone _knows Peeta has a liking of Katniss but she is too oblivious to notice! I guess maybe she already has an eye on Gale. He is a pretty handsome guy after all. I mean, all the girls at school would do anything to win his heart.

It hurts to think about him because it just reminds me that we are in these games together, and I might possibly have to watch him die. It'll be the other way around though. He can use weapons; I've seen it myself. I've seen him sell the things he hunts with Katniss in the woods. He's lucky he hasn't been killed yet; I guess the Peacekeepers are just too desperate for meat to punish him. In a way this makes me admire him, he risks his life everyday just to keep his family alive. He's braver than almost any person I've met, and I barely know him.

"I love you my beautiful girl." My mom mutters as she pulls me into a hug and kisses me on the cheek. I'm still crying when I reply, "How is the business going to go on without me?"

Since I was young, I used to help my mother repair dresses and make new one's. She always depended on me to help. My mother laughs loudly as she responds,"That's what your worried about? Lukki can help." Lukki gives a look of disgust in return. "I did teach Mazdie you know." My mother tells me hopefully. This gives me hope because I know that Silee and her sisters will help my mom just as my mom will help them.

"I love you guys so much." I tell them.

"You've always been such a sweet girl Laina. Don't change for them." She says as tears spill down her cheeks.

"I won't." I'll always be me, I convince myself. These Games won't destroy me; I won't let them. I won't turn into that moster I was terrified of in my dream, I will _never._

"Time's up." A Peacekeeper reminds us as he begins to shove my family out of the room. My Dad gives me a big hug as he whispers, "Don't give up on your star." I am deeply confused but have no time to ask for him to explain because they are being pushed away.

I sit sullenly in the chair trying to figure out what my father meant for several minutes before my next visitors come in, and I already know who it is before they even open the door.

_"No!"_ Silee sobs as she runs over to me. She can't hide her tears, she is crying even harder than I am. Her sisters are right behind her, by now they know better than to worry when Silee is upset, because she panics about almost everything.

I pull out of the hug and look at Mazdie and Jesseme, trying to ignore the horrible sobs of my best friend. "Can you guys help my mother with the business while I'm gone?" I say as if I were only leaving for a weekend. "Of course." They mutter at the same time. "You guys should visit them often, it would help my mother cope with my…_ absence_." They nod but say no more as I turn around back to my best friend.

"You don't deserve this." Silee says in loud sobs. I agree but instead of responding I pull her into another hug.

"What am I going to do without you?" I'm very glad that she doesn't try to pull of that I will survive; I've had enough of that speech today. She knows very well what my odds are. "It'll be okay," I tell her in the same way I told Lukki. She sobs more as I say this.

"I can't have you die, I just can't." She sobs. "Every year when a person was killed I used to be sad and sometimes cry but I just couldn't handle _you_…"

Suck it up! I want to scream. You're not even the one going into the games! The least you could do is not cry to make me feel better! But as I look at her, I know I couldn't ever say this. She is so weak at this point, and I know she is crying so heavily because we are so close we should be related.

"You _have_ to come back home." She says in a way that seems like courage for me.

We are interrupted when a Peacekeeper comes in to take them out. Silee flinches as one of them pulls her by the wrist. "Let me go!" She screeches as she tries to pry her wrist from the Peacekeepers hand. Her sisters agree to pull her away and instead of resisting she has now resulted to crying again, "_Try Laina_." Then they are pulled out the door and I am left feeling more depressed than ever.

I get a few more visitors but they are all mostly friends from town or school who only say a few words or sob the whole time, like Henley and Mardi who have known me since we were babies. I'm surprised when Peeta is among one of my group of friends who visit me, but we only share a few words and he promises he will make sure Silee is doing well.

Upset from all my visitors I reluctantly meet up with Effie who will take us to the train. As I say goodbye to District 12, I say a silent prayer that I will someday get to see my friends again, my home, and most importantly my family. Somehow, somewhere, I really don't care. All I hope is that this is not all I will be seeing of all of them ever again.

**Gale's POV**

"Why do you have to go?" Posy asks innocently as she stares up at me with her big silver eyes. I try to think of a way to answer the question to her but nothing comes.

"I'm sorry Gale." Rory mutters with wet eyes. "What are you talking about?" I ask almost angrily.

"If I wouldn't have been called you wouldn't even have to go into the Games." He answers simply. "How in the hell is this your fault? If it weren't for the Cap-" "Gale!" My Mom yells, almost as if on cue.

"None of this is your fault." I state seriously. "But you are going to have to be the man of this family now. Katniss will bring you guy's Game everyday; she might even try to teach you to hunt. You're going to have to be strong for all of them. I won't be here to protect them." Rory nods in understanding.

"And Vick, No arguing with what Rory tells you to do. Got it?" I say half joking. "Sure." Vick says with a half smile.

After a moment of silence, Rory speaks. "You have a chance." Rory says at the point of tears. "You're right." I tell him, but I only say this because it's better to just agree with him then tell him what I'm really thinking. I've never been able to tell them what I really think; it would just hurt them. The only person I ever let myself vent out to is Katniss, she is always silent and knows better than to interrupt my rants.

"Your Father would be so proud of you." My mother tells me proudly. _For what, getting ready to go to my death? "_

I'm going into the Games, how could that be something to be proud of?" I ask her in a more curious way than sarcastic. "Not for _that_! I meant for all these years, how you started providing for us at such a young age and how brave you are. You remind me so much of him." She responds seriously. _I really had no choice. _What else would I have done just sit there and watch my whole family starve? It's only what any decent person would do. But the thought that I remind her of my Father makes me a little happy.

Posy hugs my legs as if she were cueing me to pick her up. "Make sure you force Vick to play with you _everyday_." I say as I scoop her up. "What?" Vick complains. Posy giggles and I decide to ignore him. "Even dolls?' Posy asks sweetly. "_Even dolls_." I respond with a smile.

"I love you Pose." "I love you too." She says obliviously, she doesn't know this could quite be the very last time she ever get's to see me in person.

As I set her down my Mother embraces me in a hug, "I believe in you."

Peacekeepers burst through the door and Posy screams. They shove them out the door as Posy screams her head off, I think she has the sense that something bad is going on but of course she doesn't fully understand it. "He'll be back." Vick tells her which makes her a little quiet. "I won't let them down." Rory tells me reassuringly.

I wait for several minutes before my next visitor comes in. "Gale." Katniss says my name as she embraces me in a hug.

"Don't give up on yourself Gale. You have a chance. Remember, you can hunt; you can swim, and you _know _how to set traps and use a bow and arrow. It's not impossible." It's typical for her not to get emotional, and I appreciate it because I don't think I could handle anymore.

"Katniss I-" She covers her hand over my mouth. "Don't." She says as she darts her eyes to the ceiling and I immediately know she is trying to say she is most likely cameras in here. But what she doesn't understand is that the Capitol is not what I'm trying to talk about. "You don't understand…" I've never been good with words. "I just want you to know that…" Katniss waits patiently for me to continue.

"I _really _care about you."

"I know, I care about you too, you're like my brother." She tells me earnestly.

"That's not what I meant." I respond a little frustrated.

She raises her eyebrows just before I grab her face, and kiss her. As I we pull apart I notice her face is filled with shock. "Gale...I…"

"What is it?" I've never seen her this shocked.

"You're my best friend… I don't… want… or need… to be in relationship. I'd never make a suitable fit anyhow." I am so confused I have no idea what to say.

"But you are-"

"No. Gale… I love you. But you're my friend." She tells me.

"I know, we've always been friends… It's just… lately I've realized I liked you more than that." Katniss is just silent, and it's driving me crazy.

"Why did you have to pick _now _to tell me this?"

"I thought you knew."

"You could have waited Gale!" She yells; which takes me by surprise.

"Wait for when? After I'm dead?" I snap back.

"Gale you have a chance! Stop talking like that!"

"Yes, I have a _chance._ But that doesn't give me a ticket out of here! Your supposed to be the one I can talk to."

"Yes the one you to talk to not kiss! "

"I'm Sorry. Your right, it wasn't fair to do that." I say quietly.

"I want you to win for me. I could never live without you." She says, as if changing her mind. "I just always want you there for me." She says kindly.

"That's what I'm trying to do!"

"You know what I mean Gale Hawthorne." I 've never heard her so stern with me before. "You have a chance, because you've got guts. I've known that since the day I met you in the forest. You're going to _try _because you have a _chance_."

I feel so stupid. What did I expect her to do jump up and down and put her arms around me. This is Katniss we are talking about, and I'm getting ready for a fight to the death. What was I thinking? I guess it really doesn't matter, this might be the last time I'll see her. I don't regret it, this way I can go into the Games knowing how she really feels. _Catnip is my best friend._

Again I pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm going to miss you Catnip."

"Promise me you will try hard."

"You don't have to tell me to, I already have it figured out." And just like old times, she laughs.

"Good! Because I can't lose my hunting partner." I smile, but there's really nothing else for me to say.

Once again the Peacekeepers come to tell us our three minutes are up.

Remember Gale! You can hunt,"

"I can swim, and I know how to set traps and use bows." I finish for her reassuringly. She nods.

"You can win Gale! Don't forget it! Come back to me!" She shouts as she is pulled out the door. I am left feeling both heartbroken and yet oddly motivated.

My next visitor is Thom, and as soon as he gets through the door he makes a smart comment to me.

"How did it go with Katniss? He asks as he shoves me in the elbow.

_"Shut up." _ I tell him weakly.

"I'm not really surprised. I mean; everyone knows Katniss isn't really the type to be in a relationship. She's turned down every guys who's ever had an eye on her."

"_You always have the right thing to say." _I say sarcastically.

"District 12 is definitely going to have a winner this year. You won't go on without a fight." He points out to me. "However, I almost would rather have that pretty blonde come back." He jokes as he shoves me with his elbow again. Of course, he's cracking jokes, as I'm about to go fight in a competition to the death.

"Like a town girl would date you." I remark.

"I don't know, she doesn't really seem like that type, her friends from the Seam. Plus, what Lady could resist me?" I take a look at him, his hair is as black and messy as usual and he's wearing a wrinkly shirt. I laugh, "Sure."

"I'll just have to put my votes on Laina."

"Who?"

"Laina? The girl who you're going into the Games with?" I am silent. "Geez, Gale you're already going insane."

It takes me a minute to realize I've been calling her 'the girl' this whole time.

"Time's up. Don't sweat it about Katniss Kay?" I nod as he leaves and I am glad he came because I feel better than I did just moments before.

The Peacekeepers escort me to where I will be meeting Effie and Laina to travel to the train with. And I realize, that this terrible Journey has only begun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Here is Chapter 4! I'd just like to give a big thanks to britmck, who has helped me throughout and given me, great ideas and suggestions. Check out their profile! Here it is and sorry it has taken forever AGAIN. Homework has not been easy on me these days. I do not own the wonderfully written Hunger Games all credit goes to Suzanne Collins. **

**Laina's POV**

The ride to the train is very awkward. The only person talking is Effie, who is completely oblivious to the fact that nobody is listening or willing to join in on her ridiculous conversation.

I am just upset so I just decide to be quiet and attempt to not cry in front of them. Gale, however, is seems to be just plain angry.

"I do hope we arrive soon that our train leaves on time!" Effie complains, hinting to the driver of our carriage.

"If we're off schedule I'll just have to rewrite the whole thing overnight!" She complains with a sigh.

"And what a shame _that_ would be." I hear Gale mutter under his breath.

I attempt a small laugh but it comes out as more of a choke.

It is silent for several moments before Effie speaks again. Only this time, it's not to herself.

"I just love your dress Laina! The white embroidery is just beautiful! And that color pink is just so _lovely_!"

She barely even takes a breath as she speaks.

"Thanks." I say as my cheeks flush in surprise.

She stares at me for several more moments before I realize she is expecting me to give more information.

"My mother is a Seamstress. I help her repair clothes often, but she's always been more of the one that makes clothes. The process can be very complicated. She made this for me just last year as a gift, this type of fabric is very expensive in our district." I explain, wondering if I've said too much.

_Which is exactly why I didn't want to wear it! _I remind myself bitterly. The people from the Seam already think town people are snobs, why prove their point by wearing a dress that probably costs twice the money they get?

I couldn't have resisted the gift though, my mother had been so happy giving it to me I couldn't crush her happiness by refusing to wear it.

"It's just beautiful. Oh, I can just tell you will _love_ the Capitol!" Effie claps with enthusiasm.

Gale scoffs from the other side of the carriage.

He must _hate_ me, or he at least thinks I'm some sort of townie brat.

Anyways, I decide not comment on what Effie has said. I already know what my opinion is on the Capitol. I've always hated them. They are the horrid taste of cruelty.

I despise everything about them.

To their expensive rich foods, their hugely decorated homes, the insane contraptions they call _fashion_… I hate all of it.

I look over and see Effie silently smoothing out the wrinkles in her bright purple skirt with a scowl and I realize I have forgotten to be polite and compliment the poor woman back.

I know that she is annoying and way too bubbly but I don't think she really realizes what's going on around her sometimes. She's too wrapped up in her own little world to even comprehend that life is really difficult for others.

"I love the color of your skirt! The bow really ties the whole color scheme together too." I tell her as I stare at the huge frilly bow plastered on top of her colorful wig.

"Isn't it just stunning? When I saw it I just knew it would go perfectly with this!" Effie rambles on as her eyes light up.

I look over just in time to see Gale roll his eyes at her in annoyance. Or is he rolling them at me?

I must sound so stupid to him.

Not that I'm surprised. I didn't exactly expect _Gale Hawthorne _to be nice to me anyways. He doesn't like the idea of town people. I think he knows his anger towards us is misdirected though. _It's the Capitol we all want dead._

"Finally!" Effie sings as we get to the station.

We arrive and walk to the door of the train to be greeted by District twelve's _favorite_ victor.

Haymitch Albernathy.

When we greet him he's drunk. Then again the only times I've seen him were when he _was_ drunk so I don't really know the difference.

"Decided to show up fashionably late Princess?" Haymitch slurs at Effie.

"I'll have you know that we arrived perfectly on time!" Effie protests.

"And_ don't_ call me that!" She adds in a high-pitched voice.

Haymitch just laughs at her weak comeback.

With that, Effie pushes past him and leads us up the steps that enter us into the train.

_Wow. _

That's all I can think as we enter. Though it's a pretty small space they have made it just as modern and elegant. For a minute I have to remind myself that I hate everything about the Capitol, but its just so stunning.

I stare in awe at the beautifully carved tables and the shimmery chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. How does all of this fit into one train?

After Gale and I are finished gaping at the sight, Effie offers us plush seats by a window.

Soon Haymitch follows us inside and is sitting at a table, drinking.

"Well I have some organizing to do so why don't you all enjoy yourselves?" Says Effie.

Just as she's about to leave she speaks once more.

"Oh and you two, your rooms are down that hallway. So feel free to just freshen up before dinner tonight!" She includes with a bright smile.

We are all silent in return as she turns and leaves.

I clear my throat to ease the silence just before I speak.

"So, Haymitch…" I begin as he turns his head to look at me, drink in hand.

"Can we discuss our-?" But before I can finish he rudely interrupts me.

"_Whoa! _We nearly just got here… Your so _eager._" He spits out.

"Well things do start tomorrow, we might want to figure out our strategies before-" Again I am interrupted.

"_Listen sweetheart, _I have no obligation to help either of you. "

"So your not even going to _try_ to help us?! Isn't that your _job_?!" Gale asks angrily as he stands up from his chair.

"What's your name?" Haymitch asks; his eyes narrowed at Gale. His completely random question leaves us both dumbfounded, but then I have too remember that he _is_ drunk.

"Gale."

Haymitch bursts into laughter. Gale looks at me for an explanation; but I give him a look that says I have no clue.

"Like a woman's name?" He roars with drunken laughter.

After this realization, Gale's blood boils and he clenches his fists, waiting any moment to strike.

"I once knew someone named Gale…. And she wore red lipstick and pencil skirts!" Haymitch is shaking hard from laughing.

"He's just drunk." I point out to Gale, trying to ease his anger. Or maybe this is just how he always acts…

Haymitch laughs even harder when he sees the look on Gale's face.

"Why do you have to make everything sound better than it is? You wouldn't know anything about bad... _town girl_." He shoots at me angrily. The name he refers to me to hurts but I just tell myself that he is upset.

I know that his mood has nothing to do with what Haymitch has said, he's more angry that nobody here is taking this seriously. And I know exactly how he feels.

"I'm going to my room." Gale says flatly, after I don't respond.

I watch him go down the hallway and out of sight. Haymitch is still in hysterics behind me. _Pathetic._

I want to go talk to Gale, but I know he hates me, so what's the point? And why wouldn't he, all I do is talk about how easy of a life I have compared to his.

So instead, I too end up heading to my room; leaving a drunken man behind.

I open the door to my room and sit down slowly on the bed to observe my surroundings.

The room isn't as elaborate as I thought it would be, and I like it because it's less Capitol-like.

There's just a simple wooden dresser across from my bed with designs carved onto the knobs and a rounded mirror sitting above it, just high enough for me to see my reflection. I look over and also notice a small red armchair in the corner of the room.

Feeling to dressy, I pull of my dress and search the dresser for something decent to wear.

I quickly funnel through the clothes and decide on a simple white blouse and a pair of jeans.

To occupy myself, I play with my waist-long hair and put it into two long fishtail braids. With a sigh I sit back down on the bed and stare blankly at my reflection. My thoughts overwhelm me quickly after having tried to relax for the last few hours.

_Why is Gale so mean to me? Does he think I look down on him like a rich snob would? He won't even mind when I die. In fact, he might even be happy about it! I wish I could just change his mind about me. I wish I could get everyone to like me!_

I must have been in my room for a long time crying because suddenly I hear a loud knock on my door that makes me jump.

"Dinnertime!" Effie's voice belts with enthusiasm.

I wait until I hear the sound of her large heels parading away to get up and head towards the dining room.

When I arrive I am disappointed to see that Gale is nowhere in sight. Then again, I really shouldn't care. But for some odd reason, I do.

Effie sits up straight at the end of the table and I take a seat to the right of her.

I have the urge to run back to my room to avoid any conversation but I find myself glued to the seat when I smell the rich foods from the other room. I've never had Capitol food, but I know that even just the smell of it can draw you from miles away.

I hear footsteps and quickly turn my attention to the doorway, disappointed to see Haymitch stagger in.

He grunts but eventually takes the seat across from Effie at the other side of the marble table.

We all sit awkwardly for a couple of seconds but then a servant dressed in all red with fiery red hair to match silently sets the food on the table.

"Thank you." I say politely to the boy.

The boy's eyes widen a bit in fear but he only curtly nods. My eyes press down in confusion as he walks away without a word.

Haymitch and Effie are both staring at me with concern.

"What?" I ask worriedly.

"You shouldn't acknowledge them at all unless you are instructing something." Effie tells me without any further explanation.

"Why?" I ask stupidly before I can stop myself.

"He is an avox. It means that they're tongues have been removed as a punishment for a crime and they all now serve the Capitol as servants and cannot be spoken to at all." Haymitch explains in complete honesty and with no emotion in his voice.

I am horrified at the truth in his words but attempt to hide it by pushing around the food on my plate with my fork.

What sort of things could they have done that resulted in a punishment like that?

"Where's Gale?" I quickly ask. Only to be interrupted by a small chuckle that comes from the other side of the table.

"He's coming. I think he's just a bit_ irritated_ about something." Effie hints, shooting daggers at Haymitch. So I guess she must have overheard…

"Somebody looking for me?" Gale asks as he walks through the door and takes a seat across from me, leaving Haymitch with two empty chairs on both sides of him.

"Well look who decided to finally show up…" Haymitch sneers sarcastically.

The table begins to drift back to solitary silence but Effie quickly tries to reel back a conversation.

"We'll be watching the recaps of the reaping's tonight." She tells us as if we cared.

Haymitch coughs before adding to what she has said.

"It gives you a good look at what you'll be competing with. You might want to pay attention because it can help you in figuring out a strategy."

Gale and I stare at him in disbelief. This is the first time he has ever said something that is actually useful and isn't sarcastic or stupid.

"What about alliances?" I ask to get as much information as I can out of him while he is in a helpful mood.

"Those aren't important right now. You'll have a chance to figure all that out during the training sessions with your fellow tributes. But you'd probably be better off on your own. What's important right now is that you figure out what kind of an impression you want to give."

I nod, soaking in every bit of information that he has given me. I even see Gale take a look of interest at his words of advice.

"How do you like the food?" Effie asks excitedly.

"It's very good." I manage to get out, while Gale says nothing. I bet he is biting his tongue, I think with a smirk.

Though neither of us admits it, but we are practically scarfing down the richly delicious food on our plates, unable to stop. It has such an extraordinary taste that it electrifies my taste buds.

When I cannot fill my stomach any longer I sit back in my chair and see that Gale is doing the same. I'm satisfied until I begin to get a stomachache. _Stupid Capitol food._

"Well the reapings will be on in about 10 minutes, shall we go take a seat by the television?" Effie asks formally.

We say nothing but answer by reluctantly getting up from our chairs and following her.

Haymitch plops down on a round white chair and Gale sits on the sofa, leaving no room for me to sit anywhere. Hoping he'll eventually notice, I stand awkwardly and stare at the TV screen hoping to look occupied.

Unfortunately Effie doesn't notice either, for she is fiddling with the remote.

It's Haymitch who saves me from my misery.

"Make room for the poor girl, _Hawthorne!_ Should we make you sit on the floor like a real gentleman?" He prompts forcefully yet with abundant sarcasm.

Gale's head snaps, as if he has come out of an unending trance.

"Wh-what?" He says as he looks over at me, as if I had magically appeared. Then he realizes I've been standing the entire time.

"Wouldn't hurt the privileged girl." He mutters as he gives me a dirty look. My heart sinks but I chose to forgive him, as I always do.

And with that Gale quietly scoots over, nothing further said, which I am gladly appreciative of yet disappointed at the lack of conversation.

There is just something so interesting about Gale Hawthorne. I hadn't realized it till now but I suddenly want to know what is going through his head like I can practically predict like everyone else. I've always been so good at reading people but why is it so hard to predict any words or reactions that come from him?

I feel compelled to figure him out; it's like a challenge. I know he hates me, so how come I can't just hate him back?

He leaves me wondering whether or not he actually didn't notice me or didn't want me to be there so he ignored me. He _does_ seem upset by something though… I mean, besides the obvious fact that we are about to be in a fight to the death. That's not what seems to be puzzling him.

Suddenly music begins to play on the television and Caesar walks in showing off his bright blue hair he dyes a different color for every games.

He is smiling as bright as ever when he begins his introduction but quickly starts showing the footage.

They start off with District 1 as always and a beautiful blonde in a tight dress volunteers confidently, strutting up the stage while waving and blowing kisses to the ecstatic crowd, mostly made up men. I'm sure that this is the exact angle she is going for. She looks like all she wants to do is steal the show from everyone else but at least she does not appear to be very violent and intimidating like most of the Careers that volunteer. Her name turns out to be Glimmer, and it fits perfectly with her looks.

I make sure to pay attention well to the Careers, since they will be the biggest threat in the arena. I notice that the boy from 1 is confident like most Careers, but he doesn't seem to have anything special about him.

The District two girl and boy are intimidating, they both are cocky and I'm almost positive they know a million different ways to kill a person. I only catch the name of the shouting boy, _Cato._ I can't remember the name of the short dark-haired girl who smiles deviously, but I definitely don't forget her.

I don't pay close attention but when District four shows up I quickly turn my attention to the screen again, since sometimes the tributes from there join with the Careers, since they are a richer district.

The girl who is called looks about the age of seventeen and shows no reaction to her name being called. She doesn't occur to be extremely dangerous, so I quickly forget her.

Then a boy is called.

The boy called looks up at the stage in surprise, but hurriedly starts to make his way forward. Judging by looks, I'd say he is about the age of fifteen but he is very skinny and tall so it's hard to tell.

I don't pay attention to any of the other tributes until it get's to district eight, and a small girl around the age of fourteen catches my attention.

She has short chocolate brown hair that is only a bit longer than her chin and she is very tan. Her eyes were a striking color of green and she composes herself better than even some of the older tributes did.

In a way she reminds me of my brother, the way she keeps composure of herself so easily and the look in her eyes remind me so much of how I miss Lukki.

It's coming closer to twelve for they are already showing the reaping of District eleven. A short girl that is surely the youngest of reaping age is called and the whole crowd murmurs unhappily, no one is ever happy when a young one is called, it's not fair that they fight against others twice their size and age.

Her fellow tribute is a large eighteen-year-old named Thresh that nobody could miss. He is not a Career but he looks even bigger than Cato. I make sure to make note of him as a potential threat.

Finally comes District twelve, last as usual.

I make my way to the stage first and notice that I didn't even try to look composed. I look very frightened as I walk up to the stage and you can almost see the tears in my eyes.

Surely now I will just be remembered as a weakling, who couldn't handle it.

Unlike heroic Gale, who volunteers bravely for his brother and shows no signs of fear or emotions.

It ends with Caesar wrapping up with some comments about the tributes this year, mainly talking about the Careers but he also talks about Gale and how we almost never get a volunteer from an outline District.

Then the program ends and goes back to some sort of silly Capitol show that its citizens must like to watch.

I stare at the screen and play through the images of the other tributes in my head, making sure to remember. But all I can think about is the fact that there are so many young kids in this and will surely die.

"This year has some of the greatest opponents I've seen in years." Haymitch comments, pulling down our spirits.

He doesn't mean this badly, I know that he is only trying to help us by being completely honest but it still doesn't make me feel better.

Fighting back tears, I simply get up and walk to my room. Once I'm in the safety of my room however, I burst into tears.

**Gale's POV**

"You know, _you are just so encouraging._" I sarcastically shoot at Haymitch after Laina leaves the room.

Unfortunately, he is right about really good tributes this year. I hadn't even considered alliances before but the guy from eleven doesn't look to bad to side with.

All the Careers this year look as prepared as usual. I want to slit the girl from one's throat because she's so annoying. _Guess I picked the right time to be in the Hunger Games._

Having Laina out of the room reminds me of how I accidentally ignored her. I didn't actually intend to do it on purpose, I was just still reflecting on what Katniss had said to me before I left.

_"Remember, you can hunt; you can swim, and you know how to set traps and use a bow and arrow."_

Maybe she was right, I might possibly have more of a chance than most of the others.

I have to say though; I didn't feel sorry for ignoring her. Since I might have to watching her die soon, I don't really want to make friends.

Why does she seem so open to being friends? It doesn't make since. I'm so rude to her, but she doesn't even try to defend herself.

"What about you? All you've done today is bash at a girl you don't even know." He says defensively.

Okay I'll admit; I have been pretty harsh with her. Maybe taking my anger out on her has just made it easier to ignore the sadness I have. It's not fair. I hate to admit it, but Haymitch is right. I barely even know Laina.

_She's just so freaking cute! _Wait, where did that come from?

However, I refuse to give Haymitch the satisfaction of being right so I discreetly excuse myself and head towards the hallway.

I stand by her door, debating whether to knock or not. _Just give a quick apology, and act like nothing happened._ I repeat to myself in my head.

Until I suddenly hear a huge sob coming from the other side of the door that continues with quiet crying.

_Crap. _I really hope I was not part of the cause in her emotions.

Feeling like a stalker, I quickly decide against knocking and retire to my room for the night.

I can't sleep and all I can think about is how I heard her sobbing and that I was most likely part of the reason why.

_Why do I have to be so damn heartless?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi again! Okay so next chapter will start out with the tribute parade. This chapter includes what's going on with Peeta and Katniss in District twelve! Alrighty well I just wanted to say thanks sooo much to all my readers and I do not own the Hunger Games! Please review they encourage me to write! **

**Katniss' POV**

It's the day after the Reaping and I'm walking around the woods feeling like more confused than ever.

Hunting without Gale… it's like wearing your shoes on the wrong feet; you can still sort of walk but it doesn't feel right and you can tell it's wrong.

I already miss him so much.

_He's just your friend. _I have to remind myself to say.

Or is he? Maybe he's always been more than that. I mean, didn't I always expect us to end up together sometime?

I guess I did. Only, I tried not to ever think about it. It was always a topic I avoided in my head.

_And now it's too late to think about it. _

Why is life so unfair?

Why had I been so quick to push Gale away once he finally said what I hadn't bothered to discuss all along?

To be fair it wasn't really a good time to talk about it, with him leaving and all.

I should have seen it coming. The talk he had with me that morning, I should have known he was trying to give me a hint.

"We could do it you know." He says with deep seriousness in his voice.

"What?" I ask stupidly.

"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, _we could make it_."

I attempt to shake all these questions from my head but it's completely impossible.

As an arrow shoots from my bow I pretend to put all of my stress into the arrow as if it would go away.

What if Gale ends up dying? What would I do then?

Maybe I just need a distraction.

I head back to the fence with two squirrels and a rabbit. I'm going to help Gale's family too now, just as we'd planned.

I make my way to Gale's house and knock on the door.

Hazelle, his mother answers and we make no attempt at small talk.

She merely nods in thanks as I hand her one of my squirrels and a coin.

"This is just for now." She tells me with tears threatening to spill in her eyes. I don't stay to watch her cry.

I give her a half smile and awkwardly say goodbye.

I quickly head to town because those are where most of our profits are.

I pass by the bakery and remember that the Baker is fond of squirrels and is sure to buy it for a decent price.

I turn towards the back door of the bakery and knock; desperately hoping it's not his witch of a wife who answers.

And it's not his wife who answers. But it's not the Baker either.

Peeta and I just stand in silence for a few moments before he thankfully says something.

"Umm… Can I help you?" He asks politely.

I find myself avoiding eye contact with him.

"Yeah… I-uh…I wanted to see if you'd like to um…" By now I am stuttering like an idiot.

I can't even remember why I came.

I look down blankly at the squirrel in my hands.

"Buy your squirrel?" He finishes for me innocently.

"Yeah."

Peeta gives me a huge smile, and I'm not quite sure if it was meant to be teasing or if he was just being genuinely kind.

"I'll be right back." He says as he goes back into the bakery.

I contemplate leaving but for some reason I can't allow myself too.

He comes back to the door as he's counting change silently.

I reach out my hand and he carefully counts it again as he puts it into my hand.

"Five, ten, fifteen, twenty."

"Twenty?" I repeat in disbelief.

"Yep." He replies confidently as if it were no big deal.

"Your father usually only gives me about thirteen for it." I explain to him, figuring that he probably just wasn't sure how much to pay me.

"I'm aware of that. I just thought that since your probably helping Gale's family too…"

I'm so angry I want to punch him. Why does he keep being so nice and making me owe him?! I think I can manage on my own!

"Would you stop it?!" I yell at him.

He just stares at me in shock, being oblivious.

"What are you-?" He begins just as I sharply interrupt him.

"I already owe you so much and you just have to keep adding to the total, don't you? I never talked to you or thanked you for what you did for me so this is your way of rubbing it in my face, isn't it?!" I have no idea why I'm standing here wasting my time screaming at him but I can't shut up.

"Well I'm sorry, _Okay?!_ I wanted to thank you but it never felt like a good time. So thank you. Thanks for saving my life. But I don't want your pity! So please stop making me more in debt to you." And with that I turn around and walk back towards the Seam, where I belong.

I only take a few steps before Peeta yells back to me.

"_Wait! Katniss!" _ He remembers my name?

I start to pick up my pace but I can hear his feet run against the pavement. And I admit, I could have run faster but I didn't want to get away.

"You _don't _owe me." He says intensely as he grabs my arm to stop me.

I turn around and look right into his eyes. I'm mesmerized in the bright blue color and the gentleness that his eyes reflect.

"I wanted to help you. Honestly. And you never will owe me anything. I _chose _to help you and that's not your fault, is it?"

I try to think of a way to argue but all I can think about is the kindness in his voice and how I miss his smile I saw earlier.

"Why would you want to help me?" I ask curiously.

He shrugs. "Guess I just thought we could be friends." He smiles as he says this.

"Why couldn't we have been?" I ask.

"Your too cool for me."

This makes me burst into laughter. Which is totally surprising because usually the only people who can usually get a laughs out of me are Prim and Gale.

"Well… maybe we could be friends now?" He suggests.

"Sure." I say with a light laugh as we formally shake hands.

I have no idea why I have just agreed to be friends with Peeta Mellark but not a single part of me regrets it.

**Laina's POV **

"You need to get up! The tribute parade is today and your stylists need to get a head start on you!" I hear Effie say Just as I wake up.

I groan but get up out of bed with no objections.

_"Today is going to be a big, big day!"_ She trills with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

I try to give her a reassuring smile but I'm very glad when her purple heels clink away.

There's really no point in dressing nice today since my stylists will take them off right away so I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a plain shirt.

My braids are still in place but they are a little undone and frizzy so out of boredom I redo them.

I walk into the dining room and meet both Effie and Gale there.

I take a seat next to Effie just as our breakfast arrives.

"Shouldn't we wait for Haymitch?" I ask as I watch them begin to eat.

Neither of them responds to this request. I guess I'm the only one who actually cares. I only respect him because after all he has gone through a lot and at least he's trying to help us a little.

"I'm just so excited!" Effie says as she holds her fork in the air.

"What are the stylists going to do with us?" Gale asks casually, surprising Effie because he has rarely ever spoken directly to her before.

"It doesn't matter. Just don't object to their requests and do whatever they ask of you." Haymitch tells us, even though he was technically not invited into the conversation.

"But what if-?" Gale begins.

"There are no what-ifs! Do you want my help or not?" He asks with a bit of sarcasm.

And of course Gale can't resist to strike back.

"I'm not sure if I should answer that."

To my surprise, he just laughs instead of being insulted and soon Gale and I even let out a chuckle.

Haymitch sits at the end of the table again and all he grabs to eat is a muffin, and when he starts to massage his temple I assume he is probably in the middle of a hangover.

As soon as breakfast is finished we are escorted to "The Remake Center" to get ready for television.

As soon as I get separated from the others and pushed into a room I am greeted by several multi-colored, freakishly tattooed, rib-skinny Capitol people who are going to clean me up.

Immediately they make me undress and lay down on a table. Luckily since they look so inhuman it doesn't really bother me when I have to change into a short blue gown.

They begin to rinse me off and remove any hair that I have on my legs.

"You are naturally pretty." Says one of the ladies working on me.

"Thank you!" I make sure to say brightly to please them.

If Haymitch thinks getting on their good side is what we should do, then I'll do it. After all, he was a victor if the Hunger Games.

"But you are very beautiful also." I compliment back. I hate to be a suck up, but I really don't have any other tactic.

"You really think so?" She asks with a pearly white smile on her face.

"Of course." I answer politely.

Suddenly I wince at the pain as they rip off a patch of hair on my legs.

"Don't just rip it off you fool! You're hurting her! Be gentle!" She barks at the woman who was ripping them off. I grin satisfactorily.

I knew getting on her good side would work well to my advantage.

They also massage and rinse my long hair. Afterwards they brush through my hair and it's left looking wet and stringy.

"Don't worry. Cinna will have us dry your hair soon enough after they figure out what they want to do with it." The woman says as she pats me reassuringly on the back with a smile.

Just as I think it is over, they pluck my eyebrows and clip every nail I have to perfection.

"Don't worry, Cinna will like you." She tells me as she helps me off the table to see my stylist.

The woman takes me to a small room with a stone table and two chairs and only gives me a curt nod before she turns around to leave.

"Hey, what was your name again?"

"Reese." She says proudly.

I just stare at her wig that is colored red and white as she leaves.

Even though she is probably just another crazy Capitol person, she doesn't seem as bad as the others. I hope I get a chance to speak with her again soon.

I decide that I should probably sit on the chair before he comes in. After sitting for what seems like only moments he walks in.

"Hello, my name is Cinna and you must be Laina."

He is not at all what I expected. He almost actually looks like a _normal person_. The only thing that hints to me that he is from the Capitol is some gold eyeliner, an earing, and a nice suit.

"Hi Cinna." I say quietly.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you." He says without restraint.

"I thought you would congratulate me like any other Capitol person would." I say in a polite and honest way just in case it hurts his feelings.

"Well I don't see the point of that. What could be good about kids being chosen and taken from their families to fight to the death? Nothing at all." The small smile I had before turns into a huge smile.

"So why are you here for if you don't like the Hunger Games?" I ask in pure curiousness.

"So I can help in any way that I can."

"That's very kind of you. So what are you hear to do?"

"I'm here to help you leave an impression."

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure most of them just think of me as weak." I respond as my smile fades away.

"That's not what I see. I see a young, strong girl who has been waiting to show everyone what she's made of her whole life. And I'm prepared to get you to do just that." He says with sincerity.

My smile returns quickly.

"I guess it would be nice to show people I'm not just… that innocent shy girl that always followed the rules. I want to _change _something. _Be something._"

"You already are. Just having you say that tells me that you've already done something and you just haven't realized it yet."

"Maybe." I say with doubt.

"I'm not even sure I'll be able to hurt anybody." I admit.

"But that's not just what this is about is it? You said you wanted to be something."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"You'll figure out soon enough."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi again! So lately I've been debating if I really want to continue this or not so I decided to post more to see the response. This chapter is about the tribute parade and I hope you enjoy all! I do not own the Hunger Games (obviously)! Thank you to all my fans for reading! Please review!**

**Gale's POV**

"So what am I wearing?" I ask my stylist curiously.

I know that she has probably told me her name before but I am very bad with names and I'm not really in the mood to care about her name.

"Cinna and I have managed to come up with something a little more interesting for your outfits this year instead of those silly miner's uniforms they usually deck you all in," she responds with her bright pink lips curled up into a small smile.

She leaves the room for only a few moments and comes back holding what looks like a tight, black suit of some sort.

It doesn't look half as bad as what I thought it would look like considering what the Capitol thinks of to be stylish.

She pushes it into my hands and gestures for me to put it on.

The tight material makes me feel uncomfortable and I look ridiculous but I consider myself lucky; past years outfits have been terrible.

As my stylist is adjusting the back of my suit, a group of new insane Capitol people enters the room.

"Portia, he looks amazing! You and Cinna have really outdone of yourselves," exclaims one that has light blue hair with lips to match.

"Let's do some touch ups on his face," another chimes in, acting as if I am not even in the room.

"Make-up?" I ask in disgust to let them know I am still here.

They just laugh at me.

"We'll only put on a bit," Portia assures me.

"Make-up isn't just for girls you know," the one with the blue hair says to me rudely.

"People won't even be able to tell. It just improves your features in the lighting," one of them explains.

I give them no response as they put the itchy stuff on my face.

Then they start to babble and complain about inconveniences that I wish were the problems I had. I try to ignore them so I do not get too angry but I practically have to break the skin on my tongue to keep my mouth shut.

"I woke up early and the shower water wasn't even hot!" The one with the blue hair complains as she pouts.

The others sympathize by shaking their heads.

Most of the people back in 12 are happy with any type of bathing at all.

They put some kind of oily liquid in my hair and flip it out in the front.

When I turn into the mirror to look at myself I feel like I am staring at a stranger.

"He looks wonderfully handsome," comments one.

"It's perfect. Just wait till we add the flames!" Portia says excitedly.

"The what?" I ask in shock.

I should have known there was a catch.

"Now that we're finished let's go find Cinna and Laina so we can put on the finishing touches," she says to me, ignoring my question.

She takes me out and under what I eventually realize is the stadium is, and all the carriages are waiting under it.

She leads me over to the carriage and we meet Cinna and Laina already there.

I try not to look at her as I suddenly remember how I treated her yesterday so I don't get a chance to see what they have dressed her in.

_I just hope we don't match._

Cinna shows us a small flame and explains that the fire is fake and won't harm us. But I still feel uneasy as they put it towards me.

Portia adds a cape to the back of the already ridiculous costume I have to wear. While they are getting together the fire, Laina speaks to me.

"Are you nervous? The fire looks _pretty_ real to me," she asks worriedly.

Normally I would probably have shot her a sarcastic comment, but I know I at least owe her friendliness, so I just shrug and continue to avoid making eye contact.

When the fire comes into contact with my cape I expect it to burn but instead nothing happens.

I can see the fire but feel nothing in return. It's a weird thing to register.

"We didn't die!" Laina says to me brightly, as if making a joke.

"Not yet." I say half joking, and I am surprised when she laughs.

They put us into our positions for on the carriage just before the parade begins.

District One comes out wearing what looks like a mess of feathers and so much pink that it makes me want to gag.

Next comes District Two.

Their gold decor get's the approval of the crowd as they scream for their usual favorites, the Career's.

I know that their stylist's goal was probably to make them seem like serious contenders, but I'm really not convinced.

I know it'll be easy to make Cato angry, just by the looks of him.

The rest of the Districts are more of a blur since they have to wear just about the same outfit every year. We would have been them too if it weren't for the new ideas of our new stylists this year.

I didn't realize I had been staring off until our carriage is being ushered into the parade.

"Make sure to smile!" Effie says encouragingly, which makes me have to hold back the urge to roll my eyes.

"You'll do great, just make sure you please the crowd," Portia manages to tell me just before our carriage is pulled into the light.

For the first time I know I can look at Laina because she will be sure that it is just for the show. But I really just want to know what they put her in.

I look over and only have a few seconds to gape at her before we are the spotlight.

Her golden hair is up on her head in two buns with red ribbons tied on both bobs.

Her hazel eyes look gold because of the make up on her face. There is no other way to describe her except to say she is the very essence of light, and she shines beautifully and gracefully even in flames.

Her short black dress looks like the same material as my suit but her skirt is flaming, the flames are flowing upwards like on the wood in a fireplace.

Fortunately, she doesn't catch me staring and then we are in the center of the show.

The crowd of crazy Capitol people are shouting for us, _cheering._ Some even stand up from their seats and clap.

I look over and see Laina blowing kisses to the crowd; people insanely jump up from their seats to catch them.

Her smile is radiant and sincere as she looks around. Everyone loves her already.

I suddenly remember that I have to be smiling too, and I look up onto the screen that displays our faces.

We both look confident and truly amazing in our blazing costumes.

I hate to admit it, but Cinna and Portia are geniuses for coming up with this.

I flinch in surprise when she grabs my hand.

I immediately release it from her grip at first contact.

For the first time, we lock eyes.

"What are you doing?" I practically growl.

"They'll love it," Laina says with a smile so that our conflict is not noticed.

Portia did say to please the crowd, and it seems like a good enough reason for me, so I take her hand and we raise it above our heads for the crowd to see.

It works effectively, they scream with excitement.

Her hand is small and skinny but at the same time warm and reassuring.

All the carriages line up in front to listen to Snow's usual speech.

Our hands release and we wait for it to begin.

It takes awhile for the crowd's excitement to calm down but once he steps up they quiet down with respect.

"And May the Odds be Ever in your favor." Snow concludes in his speech. I feel hatred as I stare up at him.

Then almost as fast as it started it ends and we are sent back in our carriages.

"You guys did great!" Effie squeals with happiness.

"Nice touch with the hands," Haymitch says in approval.

I'm glad when we walk towards the elevator and back to our rooms.

"You looked great. Only I wish you would have smiled," she scolds me jokingly.

"Well I would have if you hadn't have stolen all the attention with your kisses," I joke back with a smile, which puts a huge smile on her face.

I can't believe that I'm actually joking with her. Just a day ago I was shooting rude comments at her practically every minute she was near me.

Well, we don't have to be friends but we can still joke with each other I guess.

I didn't really break the promise with myself to not care so I don't feel bad; I just… stopped being rude in a way.

There's no harm in that right?

We aren't friends, we could just be… tribute acquaintances.

**Laina's POV**

When I retire for the night all I can think about is the way Gale acted today.

He was actually, _nice_ to me.

We even joked together. And he didn't react as bad as I thought he would when I suggested holding hands.

Maybe he was just upset because of the Reaping and needed to get his emotions out. Surely he isn't always rude.

Although from all the times I had ever seen him at school he always just gave a look of anger towards town kids.

We never spoke to each other before but I had definitely seen and heard about him.

A lot of girls had huge crushes on him. And he did have a long history of past girlfriends.

The one thing that nobody understood was that Katniss had never been one of them.

I decide to get into the shower and let all the make-up wash off my face.

Then I start thinking about the tribute parade.

I still don't know the girl's name from District Eight.

She was wearing a long dress with a variety of different cloths, textures, and colors. Since her District is Textiles after all.

I bet she would be surprised to find out that I actually know a lot about her District. My mother get's most of her supplies from their factories.

I just hope all goes well with the start of Training tomorrow.

Maybe I'll even get a chance to speak with her.

And hopefully this kindness from Gale keeps up. I really don't think I could handle any coldness from him again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Hey I'm so sorry it's been awhile! I've been so busy with school but I'm hoping to make more time for my writing. Thanks to all my readers you guys are all great! I present… the training session.**

**Gale's POV**

"Ready for training?" Effie asks in her usual trill.

I simply shrug because it's usually Laina who answers all her stupid attempts to start conversation and she hasn't appeared at breakfast yet.

"Well I for one am looking forward to watching it!" She says.

_Probably because your not the one worrying about your upcoming death._

There are a few moments of silence that I'm surprised she leaves unspoken.

Haymitch lingers into the room and takes his usual seat at the end of the table. He doesn't speak a word and not even Effie bothers to welcome him.

Our food arrives at the table, served by an avox boy.

My mouth begins to water as I stare at the wonderful dishes.

I grab my fork immediately and start to dig into the meal but she gives her disapproval before I can even get it into my mouth.

"Not until Laina get's here! It's impolite to eat before all have arrived or they have given special permission to eat," she instructs in her annoying Capitol accent.

"She won't care." I tell her honestly because I know she won't. I wouldn't either. Back in District 12, the last thing you thought about was manners or trying not to offend others at the dinner table.

"Whether she cares or not_ it is still impolite!"_ She states firmly.

I sigh in annoyance but sit back in my chair and hope that she arrives soon.

"Just let the boy eat," Haymitch grunts.

Effie ignores him and doesn't respond.

As if my wish was granted, Laina finally walks into the room with her long hair down instead of up into her usual braids or ponytail. I give her a glance of interest.

"Breakfast is late," she comments while pulling out a chair next to me.

"More like you are late," I retort with a teasing smile.

She looks at my face and smiles when she sees I am merely joking.

"Sorry I was late. I couldn't get much sleep last night and I was really tired," she explains.

_Yeah, like any of us really got to sleep at all thinking about our fates just hours away._

"It's alright, you only caused breakfast to be 20 minutes later than usual because Effie made us wait," I respond sarcastically.

"You had them wait?" She asks Effie, even though she should really just say me instead of _them_ because Haymitch hasn't touched a thing on his plate.

Effie nods. "I didn't want to start without you," she says innocently.

"Well that's very kind of you, Effie. Next time you guys could go ahead and start. I don't care at all. Besides, I'm really not that hungry anyways," She informs her.

I try not to look smug as she says this.

Effie nods. "Well let's start then!"

I begin to dig into my plate and see that Laina has already devoured half of her plate.

"Not hungry, huh?" I say to her with a grin.

"Somebody's a bit out of character today," Haymitch says.

Before I can respond he continues on speaking. "Make sure you guys don't show the other tributes any of your abilities today. Save that for the private training sessions."

"So what are we supposed to do during training?" Laina asks.

"Socialize. Maybe make some allies if you can. But I encourage you most to go to the edible plants station or any survival stations," He replied.

_Great. What I'm worst at, socializing. Why should I? We are all going to die soon anyways. _

After a few minutes Effie requests that we should leave early so we aren't the last to show up.

We enter a large room with stations on all sides of the walls and a few people waiting at each to show us what they know. So far it looks like only tributes from 3, 6, and 8 have showed.

I stare upwards and notice the ring of Capitol people watching us, including Seneca Crane.

**Laina's POV**

The room stays in awkward silence as all the tributes are left alone. Finally the last to arrive are Districts 1 and 2, acting cocky and arrogant as usual.

I glance over at the girl from 8. She doesn't give off any sign of emotion or look at me.

A woman comes in finally to start off the training and all she basically does is inform us of all the different stations and suggests that we stop at some of the survival skills stations before we go and grab a weapon.

_Like I would know how to use any of them!_

I'm just hoping not to make a fool of myself and learn a few helpful things.

She lets us go and we all spread out by ourselves except for the Careers who go everywhere together like a pack of wolves.

I look around but I can't find anything that brings interest. The minute I see the girl from 8 at the fire-making station I finally see my opportunity to talk with her.

She doesn't even give me a glance when I join in next to her, so I watch as she tries to make a fire out of two wooden logs.

"Harder than it looks?" I ask.

She looks back at me and gives a simple nod.

"So… do you have any experience with making fires?" I press on.

"Why, do you want me to show you how or something?" She asks suspiciously with her back still to me.

"I just thought I would ask…"

"_No, I just came here for fun. I'm sitting here failing at making a fire, but I'm already an expert at it," _She says sarcastically as she turns to face me.

"What's your name?" I ask simply.

She doesn't look a bit taken back. In fact, she always acts prepared for anything.

"Jovi. You?" She asks.

"Laina."

"Oh, you're the girl from 12! Yeah, everyone hates your district partner." She says bluntly.

"Gale?" I ask in surprise.

She laughs. "The Careers hate that he has stolen some of their _precious _spotlight."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask.

"Have you _seen_ the looks they give him?" She asks dramatically.

I look over at Gale, who at the time is at the ropes station tying knots.

He seems focused and doesn't notice when the Careers all look at him at once, making it obvious who they are talking about. They give him glares but turn back to laughing and making jokes about what they plan to do in the arena.

Suddenly I feel terrified for Gale. He will be their first target in the Cornucopia. I know now that I will have to warn him.

"I see your point…" I mutter in response.

"So did you know him before?" Jovi asks with a smile.

"Well, I had seen him before but I never talked to him. I don't think he knew me though. Why?"

She giggles as if I'm stupid for not reading her mind.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"Well he's pretty attractive," she says while giggling. "I wish my district partner was hot like him."

I laugh at this remark. "Well you better not get your hopes up, he has a girlfriend. I mean he practically does, or at least most everyone thinks he does." I explain.

"Sounds complicated." She answers simply, starting to focus on the fire again.

"It is. So how old are you?" I ask curiously.

"14. But age is just a number. After all, Finnick Oddair won at my age," She answers while grinning.

"I wasn't going to say anything about your ability to win," I tell her.

"You were probably thinking it."

"I wasn't. Honestly. You seem like a fighter to me," I say sincerely.

"Thanks. We're going to the ropes stations with your district partner." She instructs while pulling my arm, as if we've known each other for years.

It seems like almost every tribute in the room turns to stare at us. It's not exactly typical behavior for tributes from outside districts to be friends unless you're the Careers.

Gale also sees us arrive. He furrows his eyebrows like he does every time he is confused or surprised.

Jovi grabs a rope right away and doesn't even give Gale a sideways glance. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of coming here was, so I just follow her example.

None of us talk and it begins to feel a bit awkward having to stare intently at my knot to avoid any eye contact.

I know Gale has been friendlier to me lately, but I'm sure he doesn't want this to be publically displayed that we are something close to friends.

I think his strategy is to go along solo and make it appear he can hold up on his own. I don't want to make him be bitter towards me by ruining this plan.

The rest of the training session flies by rather slowly and Gale only talks to me once while at the ropes station asking a question about the specific knot.

When it's finally over Jovi gives me a smile and a wave goodbye, making me feel as if we have suddenly become best friends.

As soon as we get off the elevator and onto our floor, I grab Gale's arm.

"I need to talk to you," I say.

"So… you and the weird girl from 8 are allies now?" He says as we walk forward.

"I wouldn't call it allies. I'm not sure that she really wants any," I admit.

He nods and doesn't say more on the subject.

We get close to our rooms and we stop in the hallway.

"Gale, I talked to Jovi and she seems to think the Careers hate you. This could really put you in danger because now you're their target. Maybe you need to try lying low a bit," I tell him nervously.

He just laughs at me and I give him a dirty look.

"I'm being _serious_. You should have seen the way they were looking at you earlier."

"I'm not scared of them! They're all just a bunch of prisses anyways," he tells me, making me laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Hey everyone! It's Christmas break and I'm going to update A LOT more. Especially if I get more reviews. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far by the way, those reviews make my day :D I love you guys!**

**Laina's POV**

Gale's door closes for the night and I'm about to push mine closed also until Haymitch stops me.

I look up in surprise but I don't say a word. I'm sensing he doesn't want anyone else aware of us or the conversation we are going to be having.

He gestures for me to follow him and I do so. We stop in the living room where we watched recaps of the reaping just days ago.

"I wanted to speak with you about your training session tomorrow." He explains simply.

When I don't respond he continues.

"Do you have an idea of what you plan to do?"

"I have no idea," I quietly.

"We're going to figure that out. I'm not just going to let you stand around and let everyone think you are weak," he says firmly.

I stare at him in confusion.

"But I am weak," I say.

"I know your not. You're trying to keep everyone else alive and not yourself. Especially Gale," He argues.

I scoff.

"Gale? Why would I be doing that?" I ask dismissively.

He _laughs _at me and I glare at him.

"Look sweetheart, I know you've got an interest in him, but you need to get into focus a bit," he says to me.

"Interest?" I ask with my eyes wide.

How dare he think suggest this! I'm just trying to be kind and it's not _my _fault he just happens to be a very handsome guy.

Suddenly I'm reminded of Jovie's comment earlier today.

_"So did you know him before?" _

It wasn't her words it was the stupid grin on her face that said it all.

Does everyone think this? That we have some kind of interest in each other?

Well if they thought this they were very wrong. Gale has just decided not to be hateful towards me anymore probably because he has decided to make the best of the situation, no matter how much he hates me.

And me…

All I know is that whenever I even try to think about what could happen to him in the arena… I just die inside.

I haven't known him very long but no matter how much I try to prove myself wrong, I know I would die to let him live.

I couldn't live with myself if I lived and he didn't. How could I have not seen this before?

I know my brother and Silee need me but I know they would be taken care of. Gale's family could starve if he died.

I've come to realize I'm going to have to die. Even if I'm afraid, it has to happen. Maybe I'm insane.

_Yes, I'm definitely insane._ I'm telling myself to give up my life for a guy I barely know.

It doesn't really matter any ways; his odds of living are higher than mine.

I can't decide what is best: to try to win and return to my family, or to help Gale win in any way I can to make sure he gets back to his family. Him winning could also benefit my family and district.

"He has to win," I realize aloud.

"No. You're going to try. Don't try to pull this off or there is going to be serious consequences," He says firmly.

"What consequences?" I ask, confused.

"They aren't going to like it if you don't play by their rules. It could make things worse for him and yourself. And it's his own job to try to win. You've got to realize you can't save everybody. By letting yourself die, your hurting your family," He says to me.

Then it occurs to me he most likely didn't have this conversation with Gale.

"Why are you trying to help me and not him?" I ask.

Haymitch sighs and clearly doesn't want to explain his reasoning.

"Maysilee Donner. She was my district partner. She had the same attitude and plan, as you. It wasn't hard to figure out she wanted me to win. I let her die…" He mutters.

"You didn't let her die, wasn't she killed by mutts?" I ask.

He winces at my words and it feels strange seeing this kind of reaction out of him. I always figured the only thing he loved was alcohol.

"She did. Right in front of me. I could have tried to save her and I didn't. If I save you this will make up for her lost life," he says a matter-of-factly.

I don't understand this weird logic but if I were in a situation as such with Gale I would most likely feel the same way.

"So you're going to try and not complain. Even if it kills you," He jokes, not letting me argue.

"What are you capable of?" He asks.

"I can sew…"

He gets a kick out of this.

"And I can use a knife," I add.

"How well?" He asks.

"I've never really used it as a weapon but I know how to handle one," I explain.

He nods. "This could get you an average score. Make sure to use that."

**Gale's POV**

Next thing I know Laina and I are sitting in a room waiting to be called for our private sessions.

District 12 is last, as usual.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," I admit.

"You have lots of skills," she points out.

"And how would you know that?" I ask curiously.

"I've seen the things you've shot in the woods. And I know your good at trapping based on your performance at the knots station yesterday," she tells me with a grin.

Before I can respond her name is called by the computerized voice.

I watch her stand up and proceed towards the door.

"Hey-" I begin.

She turns and stares at me.

"Don't hurt yourself," I joke with a cocky grin, not knowing what else to say.

She laughs but doesn't say anymore as she leaves.

I'm left in the room for who knows how long until they finally call my name.

I look up at the Capitol people and more specifically, Seneca Crane.

They are more consumed with the food around them and their conversations than they are with me.

I walk over to some ropes that have surprisingly not been used. I begin by tying them into one of my best traps that could also and hang it on a hook above.

They don't seem to notice.

Angered, I start hanging almost every dummy in the room and then I attempt shooting one with arrows.

I'm not as swift with a bow as Katniss but I've managed to pick up some skills.

I miss the first few times but eventually get used to the bow and am shooting the middle of the dummy perfectly, where the heart should be.

A few have seemed to look up and notice but most are still not paying any attention.

I shoot more targets and make some traps until eventually one of them tells me I'm free to go.

I'm so angered that they didn't even give me a chance. They only gave the first few a chance, probably just the Careers. They figure only _they_ have a chance.

I walk onto our floor and notice Laina and the others waiting for me in the living room.

"How'd it go?" Effie asks enthusiastically.

"They paid no attention to me, they didn't even give me a chance," I mutter angrily.

"I'm sure that's not true," she argues.

"Don't even start!" I snap at her, not wanting to here her excuses for them.

"What did you do?" Haymitch asks.

I explain briefly what I showed them and all he gives in response is a nod.

Laina is staring off into space, acting nothing like herself.

We lock eyes for a millisecond but she doesn't even try to smile comfortingly.

Something isn't right and I know it, Haymitch is acting strange too.

**Katniss' POV**

For the first time I actually pay attention to the things going on the screen.

In past years I mostly tried to ignore the interviews and training scores so I wouldn't have to watch people go through the process just to see them die. If I tried hard enough it could feel like fake people dying and playing their games.

But this year was going to be nothing like that.

My best friend had volunteered for his brother and could soon be killed in the arena in just days.

The Games now felt more real than ever.

Caesar Flickerman began with the scores of the Careers, which were high as usual.

Everyone was neither interested nor surprised.

Most of the other Districts had low scores and a few pulled an average but what really surprised me was that the 12-year-old from 11 had pulled off a seven.

Then finally he came to our district and he started with the girl named Laina, whose face appeared on the screen.

"Laina Aldsworth with a score of…5," He says.

Next is Gale and I grab onto Prim's hand,who is standing beside me.

"Gale Hawthorne, our favorite volunteer, with a score of…10."

My eyes widen in surprise and I squeeze her hand and then we make eye contacts.

She gives me a huge smile.

I should have believed in him. He's always been a fighter. I feel a surge of hope for him and happiness.

He has managed to get an equal score with the boy from 1, Cato.

**I revised this chapter so many times! I originally had this whole surprise with the scores and stuff but decided to go with this. But don't worry, there's a surprise stored for later;) And I didn't want him to get an 11 like Katniss and do the same old thing.. please comment your opinion about this! **


End file.
